Exploding Head Syndrome

Do you ever experience a loud bang and see a bright light when you are falling asleep or waking? Do you feel a jolt that wakes you up at night? Sometimes associated with paranormal experiences, it could be a case of what is called 'Exploding Head Syndrome'.

Sarah Chumacero

14th October 2018.

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General, Stuff paranormal investigators need to know.

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A lot of people report paranormal experiences while lying in bed at night. Some are while people are sleeping, some are while they are drifting off or waking up. Some people report they are wide awake and have an experience. Night terrors and sleep paralysis are two conditions which are major culprits in a lot of these cases. Another more unknown phenomena however, could also explain what some may interpret to be paranormal. It is called exploding head syndrome.

What is exploding head syndrome?

While it sounds quite dramatic, it is not as horrendous as it first sounds. It is considered to be a parasomnia. We know that the word para relates to outside of (para – normal relates to what is considered to be outside of normal). Parasomnia is an undesired even that happens during sleep. It is something that does not usually occur when someone is asleep.

The phenomena consists of a loud noise and sometimes a bright flash of light before you fall asleep. It can almost feel like a violent explosion has gone off in your head. It can also happen during sleep and cause you to wake up. It doesn’t physically hurt, but it causes a high level of distress and fear in a lot of cases. Some people have reported feeling like they are having a stroke. They may also feel muscle twitches or a jerkiness.

The definitive cause is not known however it is thought that the same stresses that can cause a person to suffer from sleep paralysis can also cause exploding head syndrome. Being over tired and stressed are considered to be major triggers. Like sleep paralysis you can have more than one episode in the same night, or it can occur over several nights. You can even worry yourself into having an episode. If you have had an episode a few nights in a row, you may be so scared that it will happen again that you are almost making it happen.

How can this be confused as paranormal?

Episodes from conditions like sleep paralysis and night terrors are debated quite frequently amongst the paranormal community. They involve a dark shadow or figure pinning a person in bed. While it can be explained by the brain, some people feel within themselves that it is something else that they are under attack in some way. Exploding head syndrome however correlates more with experiences that people report with alien abductions an astral travel. Seeing a bright light and being awoken with a loud bang, some describe as a feeling of returning to their body after astral travelling. People that feel they have been abducted often report a bright light and suddenly wake in their beds with a jolt - perhaps similar to the muscle jerks and twitches described above.

I can’t tell you what it is that you are experiencing in your bed at night as it is personal. Personal experiences are just that – they are personal. This is just another one of things that we need to keep in mind when we are playing things back in our mind. If this is something that has happened to you before or you experience in the future, take the time to maybe look into exploding head syndrome. Not everything we experience is paranormal. Our brains are very complex. Sometimes of course however, things do happen that we cannot explain, and that is why we are here. To find these answers.